CBP has completed the reconstruction of the truck crossing at the port of Blaine, Washington. Three (3) lanes are currently open and all appears to be flowing well. Our hats go off to our friends at U.S. Customs during the reconstruction phase, they did a wonderful job notifying the public of the process and doing what they could to mitigate delays.
If you want to monitor port of entry delay times you can still make reference to CBP’s Border Wait Times page.
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IMPORTANT NOTICE! The 2014 Biennial Registration FDA renewal period starts Oct 1st, 2014 and ends December 31, 2014. As we discussed two (2) years ago it is imperative that all FDA importers re-register their existence with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration during the Biennial Registration period. This entire process and requirement for FDA re-registration deals with the importers of edible food products that are subject to the requirement of an FDA “prior-notice” under the FDA’s... Read More

CBP automated I-94 form rollout begins
The Following is a direct quote from CBP News Posts:
(Friday, April 26, 2013)
Washington— U.S. Customs and Border Protection today announced that the automation of Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record is now effective which will streamline the admissions process for individuals lawfully visiting the United States. Form I-94 provides international visitors evidence they have been lawfully admitted to the U.S. which is necessary to verify alien registration, immigration... Read More

Land Rover Defender vehicles:
The following is a quote from CBP News posting web site.
(Monday, April 15, 2013)
Washington — U.S. Customs and Border Protection is on the lookout for illegal imports of Land Rover Defender vehicles that do not meet federal safety standards, including the standard that requires airbags. This year, CBP has identified dozens of illegal shipments at various ports of entry across the United States, including Baltimore, Charleston, S.C., Jacksonville, Fla., and Savannah,... Read More

This information is brought to you direct from CBP and their tips to travelers website. This is very good information to live by (Posted by: Sanders Brokerage Services). Following is a direct cut and paste from the web site of: http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/trade_outreach/diduknow.xml
In order to avoid potential problems in the clearance of your merchandise, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) strongly recommends that you familiarize yourself with CBP policies and procedures prior to... Read More

THE U.S.D.A., SAY,
Make sure your wood packing material has been properly heat or methyl bromide treated! U.S.D.A. is refusing shipments that contain pallets and wood packing material that is not properly marked are treated with ISPM 15 or IPPC logos. Make sure your shipment is admissible and become familiar with the information on the web site links listed below. Having your shipment refused by the U.S.D.A. is costly, inconvenient and not fun.
In a multi national effort the U.S.D.A. has... Read More

CBP has advised that their “informal” entry value will increase from $2000 to $2500. The anticiapted effective date for this change is slated for January 7th, 2013. The posting from the CBP website provides the following information:
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Washington— The United States Government announced that it is delivering on a key commitment under the U.S.-Canada Beyond the Border Action Plan through the publication of a final rule in the Federal Register titled “Informal Entry... Read More

Update: Canada Customs (CBSA) effective Nov 1 2012 is beginning an informed compliance period that will remain in effect until May of 2013, when eManifest-enabling legislation and regulations are expected to be in place. During this period CBSA has reported that carriers will not be denied entry into Canada or subjected penalties for reasons associated with eManifest non-compliance. CBSA further advises that they will instead advise carriers of the eManifest requirement to transmit advanced... Read More

FDA Regulatory Compliance: If you haven’t noticed we would have to say that the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has been advised to turn up the heat on import compliance. This is strictly our opinion but locally we have seen FDA exam and sample more importations with the apparent end result being compliance to all FDA import regulations such as: the cosmetic labeling act; food labeling act; and other import regulations. Importers are advised to ensure their their labels,... Read More

The CBP 434 (NAFTA Certificate of Origin Certificate) expired on March 31, 2012. CBP has approved its extended use until a new form has been approved. Following is the posting by CBP. (Posted by Sanders Brokerage Services):
Please be advised that CBP is aware that the most current CBP Form 434, “NAFTA Certificate of Origin,” available on the CBP website at http://forms.cbp.gov/pdf/CBP_Form_434.pdf, lists a March 31, 2012, expiration date. Notwithstanding the expiration date, the trade may... Read More

Value Information Tips

When you ship or send goods to the U.S.A., the question of "valuation" may arise. What you need to know is that the issue of how to value your goods for export to the U.S.A. are part of a very complex law in our U.S. Customs Regulations (CBP).
The U.S. valuation law is very similar to the valuation law first developed and implemented by Canada Customs. The basic bottom line concept on most imports deals with the goods being valued (appraised) at the actual transaction value. That is, the price paid or payable for the merchandise. Transaction value is commonly used in arms length (unrelated) sales where a specific relationship did not impact the price paid or payable for the goods.
The term Related means within the sale of the goods, that actual family relations are involved, or that there are mutual owners in the selling company and purchasing company. CBP feels that family relationship or mutual owners in the seller and the buyer could impact the value paid or payable for the goods..
In related sales, transaction value can still be used, provided it can be proven (via a test case) that the relationship did not impact the price paid or payable for the merchandise.
Further protocol flow of the valuation law is a bit more complex and deals with terms and concepts such as "Transaction Value of Identical or Similar Merchandise", "Computed Value", "Deductive Value", and "402f" (Customs last method of appraisement) when other valuation concepts determined.
The bottom line in this law is making sure that the U.S. Government is receiving it's full amount of duty money's and fees. Undervalued importations could result in a loss of revenue to the U.S. Government to which the government could pursue full reimbursement and penalty actions.
Please remember that declaring a proper value on your shipment for U.S. Customs purposes is a matter of law.